Ackerman Complex
by DSC-Fate
Summary: English translation of Sabaku-no-Yui's work: After hearing about a brutal murder, Mikasa Ackerman decides to take care of the only survivor: A week-old baby called Levi whom she will raise with the self-imposed rule of NOT BEING his mother. But the greatest problem won't be raising him, but the strange and unique way he looks at his 'new mother' [Modern AU]


_''The World is cruel. It's true. The world happens to be an unfair and unequal place. Living in it, we are exposed. Being alive we meet people and the people brands us. While we are alive we suffer, we are unhappy. The world it's equally harsh and hostile. In person or as onlookers, we see the tragedies of the world, as they are always there._

_The difference is made by those that believe that a tragic success it's not the end of the world.''_

Mikasa closed the notebook over her lap, returned the pen to it's corresponding case and quickly took off the earbuds to stuff everything inside her white leather purse, just before the doctor announced her turn in a loud voice, from the threshold of his office.

''Good day Mikasa. How has been your week?''

''I've been better…''

The woman collapsed over the soft armchair back to the window, in order to look directly at Doctor Mike sitting in his usual position, already with papers in hand.

''You told me over the phone that you no longer have attacks with the same frequency as before.'' Commented Mike with a bit of curiosity.

''Yes… It's been three months.'' Her tired voice replied

''Then that shows a very good improvement.''

''That's true, thank you for all the help you have given me all this time.''

A brief silence fell over the office, and Mikasa tried to hear nothing else but the voice of her thoughts. Mike patiently waited for her reaction, until the woman gave signs of life once again, although very reluctant to voice her comments.

''You told me that people with epilepsy tend to manifest it in stages. That means I might already be cured, no?''

''It's not possible to know without the proper study''

''But it's true that the attacks happen when one it's subject to extreme mental stress, right?''

''Everything is possible Mikasa. How are you feeling right now? Tell me.''

She kept her words for herself and stuck to only look carefully at her psychiatrist, waiting that her lack of answer would make him lose interest.

''It's there anything in special you would like to tell me?'' He pried.

She tightened the white dress that covered her legs with her fists, her sight never leaving the floor.

''Last month…'' She muttered.

Didn't stop him from clearly hearing her. ''What happened?''

She raised her eyes. ''Nothing to me. I'm fine, but…''

''Do you think you could tell me? I won't pressure you if you think you can't.''

''No. It's all right. I'll do it; I want to talk about it with someone.''

* * *

><p>The black haired woman had held her coffee cup very close to her lips; even if it had been empty for quite a while. Instead, she looked dumbfounded at her friend that kept talking, without being able to convince herself about what she was hearing.<p>

''Hannah, how were you able to find about this?'' Mikasa asked worried.

''They brought him yesterday to the orphanage where I work. He's only a few days old, my god!'' Small tears left her eyes while she tried to sort the order of the events in her head.

She swallowed hard and waited for her friend to recover before continuing.

''His name is Levi. His family was well off economically, strange thing is that nobody knew what they did for a living, and they only knew about the mother and father, along with an old man that I suppose was the grandfather. In the end it's always the same with this things: An armed gang stormed in the house while they slept and surprised them. The mother was able to hide the boy in a trapdoor and saved him. The rest… They all died to those thugs.''

Mikasa had already left her cup over the table and was biting her lower lip in frustration.

''And he's ok?'' She couldn't hide her quivering words.

''Yes… The police found him wrapped in blankets and inside a basket, because of the cries that came from under the floor. Earlier today they found exactly what happened: Nothing was missing, they didn't steal anything or took something in specific, it was just reckoning. The father was involved in drug trafficking and was opposed by the group that broke in the house to kill them. It was just reckoning.''

''But he has family? Someone that will take care of him? There must be! Please Hannah, that baby is barely a week old! He can't be alone! He can't face the world being alone! He can't!'' She demanded while angry and distressed.

''Do you think I don't know?! We have been doing everything in our power to find someone! But nothing!''

''It can't be he's alone!''

''It can't be changed Mikasa!'' Hanna slammed her hand on the table, making everything on it to shake. ''I'm perfectly aware about what you went through years ago, but you can't just go out and do justice and smack people just because it's unfair for him.''

The woman lowered her eyes ashamed. Her friend took her face and forced her to look at her directly.

''That boy has no one. Not acquaintances or relatives, his father erased all connections.'' She released her and sighed after returning to her seat. ''We'll see how we can introduce him to the other kids, right now he's the youngest of all of them, we had never taken care of babies before but we will try our best.'' Explained a bit more calm.

Mikasa looked lost in thought after her response. She looked really lost and hurt, more hurt than anything else that had happened to her. Although in fact, in her memory there were still faded memories about that time she went through a similar experience. Fragments that surfaced against her will, when she heard about stories like this one.

''Hey, don't worry about him. I'll dedicate my body and soul to take care of him. He'll be all right, you'll see.'' Hanna tried to cheer her up with a forced smile.

''But what will he do when he grows up, when he becomes self-conscious about who he is, about why he's alone, what will happen when he starts asking about his past and when he starts looking into it anyways and then…'' the expression she faced Hannah with crushed her heart. ''Who's going to stop him? How's going to hug him and dry his tears? Who will tell him that everything will be all right and that he will never be alone again?'' Without any will to hold her back, she let two thick crystalline tears escape her eyes.

''I don't know Mikasa. I hope it's a good person, someone suitable.'' Hannah concluded resigned.

The woman spent the next couple minutes picking up the almost untouched coffee cups and the plate of sweets while trying to don't disturb a sobbing Mikasa, that didn't move from her place until she noticed that her friend was walking towards the front door with her backpack.

She bolted from her chair.

''Wait Hannah! Leaving already?!''

''I need to go back to work; With this everyone has been too busy.''

''I didn't even help you to wash the cups.'' She apologized

''Don't worry, just go and lay down, it will do you good. Rest your mind from all this things, I know they impact you more than anyone else. Listen to me, understood?''

The next moment, the black haired woman went through the hardest and bloodiest battle within her subconscious that she never imagined she would have. Looking at the back of the ponytailed girl walking towards the door, and getting further away with each step was really hard for Mikasa. Every single one of her muscles tensed and divided in two sides: The ones that obeyed her sense of responsibility, her reason and lucidity, and the ones that were guided by a stronger desire, her instinct and sense of justice.

Finally she inhaled as much air as she could, tightened her fists so strong that she stopped feeling the blood flow in her fingertips, and dashed towards the rack at the entrance and took the first coat her hand could grab.

''Wait, Hannah!''

She turned back, scared by the yell.

''What's the matter?''

''I'm going with you. You are going to help me.''

* * *

><p>Mike stayed frozen in his velvet chair with his eyes out of orbit and his mouth hanging, he couldn't find words or an appropriate reasoning to act before this newly revealed fact.<p>

''You… Adopted a boy?'' His voice was barely a whisper.

''Technically, now I'm his legal guardian.'' Answered with a radiant smile, not exaggerated at all.

''But… How…?''

''My friend works in the orphanage and she gave me… A hand with the paperwork.'' Nervously she gripped her dress once again. ''One not-so 'legal'.'' She added very quietly.

The shrink cleared his throat and relaxed his expression.

''Mikasa, you are about to turn twenty, no?''

''Yes. Next week.''

''Then technically the law allows you to do this.''

''That is correct.''

''… And do you think you are in an appropriate position to do this?''

''Why not?''

The troubled doctor rubbed his temples.

''Let's see, Mikasa'' he exclaimed tiredly. ''You are running through an epilepsy crisis that has lasted thirteen years already. People like you that suffer from this shouldn't add more stress and troubles to their lives.'' He dedicated the young woman a sympathetic look. ''You shouldn't do this, it's now your problem.'' Tried to reason with her.

''Doctor, I don't think it would do well to my conscience or my moral to just forget about this. I am perfectly capable of raising a child, and if you think that he would make my condition to deterio-''

''That's not the problem!'' He interrupted her exasperated. ''You never know when you will have an attack, the one that could harm the child is you! What do you think it would happen when you are carrying him and suddenly…'' He shook his head disapprovingly. ''It's not the time. You are still young, you still have a lot to learn and experience, and you still have a long life to enjoy before thinking about having a child.'' He ruffled his hair without knowing how to continue. ''Mikasa… With all your problems, with everything that has happened to you, with everything you have told me, honestly I don't know how could you be thinking about adopting a child.''

She raised both of her eyebrows while keeping a neutral expression.

''I didn't adopt him.''

Mike looked at his patient clearly confused.

''I'll only take care of him as his official guardian. I won't become his mother, he already had one, and nobody will be able to take her place ever again.'' She tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

''And according to you what is the difference?'' He asked puzzled.

Her bangs covered her face, shadowing her visage, and her fists relaxed and gained color again.

''What I wanted was for him to have someone. So he won't be alone.''

''…''

''I wanted to be someone ideal for him, for when he grows up and sees the world as it is, when he sees all the cruelty, when he would feel sad and would need someone that could understand and hold him.''

''An ideal someone…'' Whispered Mike for himself. ''You don't want him to go through the same thing, right?''

The woman tightened her lips. It could be true. She could see in him a similar past, and a burning future until it became ashes. That made her despair: She would die before she would allow it to happen.

''Doctor Zakarius, I believe all the children in the world should have the right of having someone, and I am not saying it just because personal experience.'' She brought her hand to her chest. ''If Levi needs a person to hold him when he feels that he can no longer go on, and there is no one else to do it, it would be my pleasure and my biggest wish to be it for him. And I swear, above everything I love in this world, that I won't allow anything bad to happen to him.''

''…''

Doctor Mike eyed her indifferently before crossing his legs and returning to his papers where he kept writing as if nothing else had happened.

''All right Miss Ackerman. Would it be all right to plan your next visit in two months?''

Mikasa bit her lip a bit annoyed. Evidently he didn't want to keep discussing this topic. ''Yes doctor, it would be the best, although if I continue without attacks in the following months I think I could say I am cured.'' She answered after deciding to play along.

''All right then, let's hope it will be.'' And he wrote a few more words in his agenda.

* * *

><p>There was peace that day, silence and calm so unspeakably relaxing, that the black haired woman could swear that it was like being in a dream.<p>

Outside the windows, the urban scenery wasn't something worth admiring, but the spring was starting to show its first signs in the trees and the gardens of the houses and apartments of the small city.

Comfortably snuggled between covers, over the soft and foamy carpet in her small library, and resting her back against the feet of the sofa, Mikasa cradled a chubby and endearing small bundle in her arms, which carried a small boy inside.

''Levi. I'm going to give you the life you deserve, you know? I'll always, always be with you, ok?''

She whispered softly so she wouldn't disturb the baby's sleep, looking at him with eyes full of affection and adoration.

''You are the cutest baby in the world, aren't you?''

Some spring thunder faintly rumbled among the clouds and made Levi to squirm and emit some faint whimpers.

''Shhhhh. Hush, hush, hush. It's nothing, don't worry, I'm here.''

The baby groggily opened his eyes while he kept opening and closing his small hands with a sleepy expression. In that short time she could see the faint glow of his dark blue eyes that inspected her without opening too much.

''That's right. When you start attending school you will need a last name, but your family… Well, you can no longer use that one. So… I'll _lend_ you mine. Do you agree?'' She spoke cheerfully while showing a smile.

''Levi Ackerman. You will be a great man, I'm sure of it.''

* * *

><p>Original story found in: FanFiction dot net u/5262756/Sabaku-no-Yui

Any mistakes in the translation/redaction feel free to point them. This is my first long-term translation work :)

Original Characters by Hajime Isayama®


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